


Heros without Costumes

by waiting4william



Category: Ten Inch Hero
Genre: F/M, Sexual Situations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-09-01
Packaged: 2018-04-09 08:07:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4340696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waiting4william/pseuds/waiting4william
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tish and Priestly have some obstacles that need to be overcome before they can truly be together. I don't own any sort of rights to the story, this is just my little spin on what happened/happens at the end of the film.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tish burst through the front door of Beach City Grill. She was upset. She couldn't help it. She'd been hanging out, going on dates with Priestly for almost two weeks and they still hadn't had sex yet.

It was driving her absolutely mad. Sure they had done a few things, wonderful things, but they had not yet done that.

Jen noticed her mood first, and cleared out of the way. Probably for the best, too. Tish knew how much of a joy she was too be around when she was irritated.

Too bad the source of her frustration was standing directly in her line of sight with his back to her. The daggers in her eyes were fantastically sharp and when he swore and hissed after burning himself in the grill, Tish actually thought maybe karma was interfering in her behalf. Zo would be thrilled to know.

How dare he make her miserable by denying her the one thing she’d been fantasizing about for what felt like ages. Even before Tadd and Brad...

She'd seen the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't paying attention, but the truth of it was, it sorta became a little game... When did she get the best reactions from him and why? Maybe she could help the process of him asking her out on a date along, if she could just get him to react to her... to really want her.

Then again another part of her thought to just ask him out, but she bailed on the idea, judging herself on the way he'd seen her behave towards men. It might not exactly be a mark in her favor if she pursued him. Or worse, he might think she was mocking him.

He’d made his own snarky comments and joked with everyone else at the grill when it came to Tish's very open love life, but she could tell sometimes that he was holding back.

If only he’d actually known that she didn't sleep with most of the men she'd left the grill with, then maybe she would've had more confidence in taking matters into her own hands. But she was in too deep with upholding her image. He'd call her a liar if she confessed at this point, wouldn't he? She probably would, if the situation were reversed.

But they were beyond the asking now. After their big blowout over looks, Priestly had cut his hair shorter, shaved his face clean, and bought a small wardrobe of second hand preppy clothes.

She’d nearly cried when he'd walked in that day. He looked completely different. So different from the man she grew to care about as more than just a friend.

He did all that to illustrate a point. And... he did it for her.

But was it ‘Boaz’ that had asked her out, or ‘Priestly’?

Regardless, it hadn’t mattered, Tish had said ‘yes’. He had taken her out that night and they walked along by the water, all the while somehow touching one another, holding hands or an arm wrapped around.

When he walked her up to her apartment, she pushed the door open, enough to let him pass. But instead, he physically turned her and gently pushed her through the door, before sneaking in just a little behind her and kissing her cheek before promptly exiting the premises.

She punished her vibrator severely that night.

Now today, two weeks after they commenced the pursuit their mutual attraction for each other, and she was still getting off with passion aid accessories.

He turned around suddenly and realized she was standing behind him. The look that passed over his face was immediately satisfying to her. If he'd ever appreciated her mode of dress, this was the day. In his look, Tish found the answer to the question she'd been asking herself for two weeks... when?

His eyes told her tonight they would level up in their fledgling relationship. _Thank God!_ She wasn't sure how much more celibacy she could take...it had been weeks since she'd slept with Tadd and almost Brad before this whole waiting period with Priestly.

And batteries weren't cheap.

Even in her current state of annoyance, Tish couldn't stay that way for long once his eyes found hers. Even if whatever words came from his mouth wanted to send her straight into a full-blown meltdown. If he looked at her the way he was now, all the time, she was pretty sure she’d never leave his bed. If he ever took her there in the first place.

He may have changed his outward appearance, which bothered her a lot, but she was glad to see his humor had survived the transition in tact. Even if she were on the suffering end.

‘And just what crawled up your skirt so early this morning, Platisha?’ Priestly said half heartedly, turning back to the grill and casting a quick glance over his shoulder, gauging her expression.

‘Well, I can certainly tell you what didn't!’ She snapped back, grabbing her apron and tying it on, trying her best to ignore him.

Priestly slowly turned to face her, his own expression unreadable, before he nodded his head, as if understanding some great mystery...

‘What?’ She heard herself say defensively.

'Nothing.’ He said shaking his head a little, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

‘If you're laughing at me, Priestly...so help me God!’ She warned through gritted teeth.

'I'm not laughing, I'm just thinking you look awful stressed out, Tish. You need to relax more.'

‘A little help in that department would be most welcome!’ she seethed. But when Priestly remained silent, Tish opened it up for public comment.

‘Do I have any takers?’ She threw her arms up and earned an exasperated look from Priestly. Forget work for the moment...she just needed to get away from him.

‘Hey Tish, you wanna come here for a sec?’ Priestly snapped, as she pouted and reluctantly followed him back to the storage room.

She sighed, knowing she was about to get an ear full about her attitude, but instead he pulled her inside and closed the door quickly behind them. In an instant, his mouth found hers in the darkness and he kissed her hard. Kissed her breath away. She was on the verge of bliss-driven kiss oblivion when he finally broke contact.

“Your heart is racin’ Tish, I thought you said this would help you relax? A little activity to take the edge off? Maybe I’m doing it wrong...” His lips vibrated against the skin of her neck as he murmured the words beneath her ear. She was so close to release it was almost painful.

'You want to know a secret, Tish? For weeks I've been walking around here, half mast, because of you. I'm trying so hard,' he said as his hand slid between their bodies and up under the hem of her short skirt. Soon the pad of his thumb was pressed against her through the thin fabric of her panties. 'So goddamn hard...' He said again as he brought his forehead against hers.

Tish found she was hyper aware of everything in the small dark room. The scent of his clean skin, the cold of the metal shelving at her back, the way her knees felt ten times weaker when she couldn't see them, and the way she felt ten times hotter doing naughty things in the pitch black with Priestly. She almost forgot she was at work.

He was kissing her again, all the while increasing both the rhythm and pressure beneath her skirt as he drove her closer and closer to orgasm. She tried to speak but could only manage little gasps as her voice caught in her throat. He nudged the sensitive hollow of her collarbone as his other hand traced along her jaw.

'This is exactly what you want, isn't it Tish? To come right now? Here? In the storage closet?' He began to slow his hand down, a note of realism in his voice as the gravity of his words began to register.

 _Dammit!! Here comes the speech... Please don’t let this be the speech! Just 2 more minutes!!_ She wanted to cry out.

'You're so ready for me, I'm having a hard time convincing myself that this is not the way to go. But I don't want our first time to be in a closet. Maybe any other time after that...but not the first.'

Tish was so distraught she let out a stifled sob. When she finally retrieved her voice, it bothered her to no end that it was extremely shaky.

'This was fucking cruel, Priestly! Even for you!' She accused.

'I didn't do this to tease you, Tish. I wanted you to know just how much I am constantly aware of you. But this isn't happening right now. Soon, I promise, but not right now.'

He kissed her long and deep before he fixed her panties and tugged her skirt back into its rightful place.

'Nice outfit by the way.'

She smiled in the dark, reaching up to softly stroke his face, even though he'd just brought her up to and left her on the very edge of paradise without completing the mission.

'Payback is a bitch, Priestly.' She said against his cheek as she reached her other hand behind him for the door handle. 'Don't say I didn't' warn you...'


	2. Chapter 2

Tish worked the rest of the afternoon in a kind of daze. Maybe Priestly was right. She’d waited this long (and hated it), what was a little bit longer? As long as she didn’t get hit by a bus or something, she could rein it in. Good things happen to those who wait right? Good sexy things?

She was going to go with that and then therefore tried to level her mood by flirting with customers, both guys and girls, just to make the day go by faster.

Once or twice she caught Priestly glancing at her, a strange but endearing look in his eyes, (which she could see so clearly now that he’d left off with the guyliner). But for the first time in forever, she felt herself get self conscious around him.

She was used to controlling the room where men were concerned, but now with these newly exposed and reciprocated feelings, she was having a hard time functioning normally around him. Maybe she should change her clothing and makeup too, just to see what would happen.

As she was clocking out that night, she glanced at the schedule. She had tomorrow off. Good, she thought, she had shit to work out. Jen came up behind her and looked over her shoulder.

“Day off tomorrow. Have any plans?”

“Not yet, I’m working on it though. And I have a whole pile of laundry I need to get down to the mat. Then maybe a hot date or two...” she joked, looking around for Priestly. Who was already waiting to catch her eye when she found him. He winked at her and threw a rag over his shoulder as he walked back towards the rear entrance to take out the trash.

“You ok?” Jen whispered when she was sure he was out of earshot.

“I’m fine,” Tish said. “Really, this is just… different. Ugh, and distracting!”

“Well, I just want you to know, it’s not just you that’s having a difficult time adjusting.” Jen said conspiratorially, looking over her shoulder. “But you didn’t hear that from me. Just go easy on each other.”

“This coming from the girl who bailed on a hot guy sitting alone at a bar and had to be convinced of his interest by him sporting a homeless costume…” She gently reminded her.

“Yeah, I know… But we all have costumes… I guess, that’s the hard part to figure out and get through.”

Tish didn’t have a response. Jen was right, plain and simple. Even she had a costume. Jen’s wisdom gave her a lot to think about. Maybe she would spend her day off meditating on it. Since she wasn’t about to get laid anytime soon…

* * *

The next day, Tish dropped off her laundry and cleaned her apartment one last time with her roommate Kirsten. She helped stack the boxes as Kirsten packed all of her stuff up.

“I’m going to miss you,” Tish said as they finished up. “I mean I know we didn’t really get to hang out often, you were almost as elusive as me, but it was nice to have someone else to share the place with when we both were around.”

Kristen walked up and hugged her friend. She knew Tish wasn’t one to mince words. “Aww sweetie, I’ll miss you too! You’re such a sap lately. What’s gotten into you?”

“Haha, very funny. Nothing has gotten into me.” Tish said a little peevishly. That was part of the problem. “But seriously, I mean it. I want what’s best for you. I know you worked your tail off to make this happen. It’s just, well…”

“C’mon Tish, I won’t be that far. You could visit me, come up for a weekend or something. Living off campus will definitely have it’s benefits.”

Tish smiled. “Yeah, I’ll definitely do that. But hey, listen, we should have dinner this week before you go. Just us. It’ll be nice.”

“I like the sound of that, and maybe you’ll finally spill your secrets about Priestly, the man who finally asked you out. I mean I’ve lived with you since you started working there. I could tell when you would talk about him that you might have a bit of a thing, but you never elaborated so I didn’t press it. I will say it took him long enough, though...sheesh!.”

“You’re telling me,” Tish said, exasperated. “This is the strangest relationship I’ve ever been in.”

“So you are calling it a relationship, then?” Kirsten probed.

“I…” Tish hesitated, “I honestly have no idea.”

“Look Tish, I can tell you that this is different for you. I have never seen you behave like this about any other guy. So just give it some time, ya know? If things are meant to happen, then they will.”

“You’re right.” Tish agreed, shaking her head, and left it at that. If anything, Jen’s words still haunted her about costumes and knowing people for who they really were. Time would be the decider in all things, but she couldn’t help but wonder.

“I’ll see you later,” Kirsten gave Tish another quick hug and headed for the door. “Don’t look so confused. It’ll all work out the way it should, I know it will. And frowning like that will give you wrinkles! You should find a way to relax. It’s your day off"

Why was everyone telling her she needed to relax? Tish wanted to shout at her friend, but realized that would probably only prove her friends point, and Priestly’s as well. Not that she’d mention it to him. He liked being right way too much when it came to their disputes.

As the door shut and Tish was left standing alone, she contemplated her next objective. Having finished her to-do list, and the laundry was still drying, Tish decided to take a book and a blanket and head to the beach. How’s that for relaxing! she thought to herself.

Her phone buzzed just as she finished laying out her blanket on the sand.

What r u doing?

She looked at the text and smirked. She’d purposely not texted Preistly today to see how long before he caved.

_I’m at the beach. U should come join me._

When her phone buzzed again, Tish was surprised to see a text from Piper with a picture of a very pouty Priestly. He looked absolutely gorgeous. Ugh! She had to stop being all boy crazy over him. Since when did he consume her thoughts like this?

 _Tell him 2 get over it or get over here_ …

She then texted him again.

_R u stopping by after work 2nite?_

I will if u want me 2.

_I’m not even going 2 respond to that._

And then she put her sunglasses back on smiled. She knew she would see him later. And it dawned on her just how excited that made her.

Suddenly it didn’t matter if he was wearing eyeliner or Abercrombie. She just liked him and she wanted him to do and dress and be whoever he truly was. Wrapping paper and costumes were unnecessary at this point.

In fact, if that meant Priestly in his birthday suit, she would happily forgo any and all costumes in favor. Some of the best gifts couldn’t be wrapped...


	3. Chapter 3

When the knock came at the door that night, Tish knew it was Priestly. A: because Kirsten had already left, not soon to return, with her boyfriend Joshua, and B: Kirsten didn’t knock.

“It’s open!” she hollered from her spot on the couch.

The door cracked a little bit and then swung wide as Priestly tentatively stepped inside. There was a smile in his eyes when he spotted her.

“Hey!” he said, maneuvering around the stacked boxes, then looked quizzically back at her. “What’s all this stuff?”

“Oh yeah, it’s my roommate’s things. Watch your step. She’s moving out at the end of the week.”

“Why’s that?” he asked, approaching her slowly, looking around the space.

“She’s going back to school and her boyfriend lives about three blocks away from campus. They are moving in together.”

“Whoa, that’s a big deal.” he said breezily, shoving his hands in his pockets as he stood next to the couch.

Tish smiled. “Yeah, I suppose it is, but they’ve been together for about two years now? So it’s the next step, right?”

“Am I speaking to Tish?” He gestured at her. “Are you Tish right now? Have you ever heard yourself say something like that?” Priestly was serious and Tish tried not to hiss like a cat in response. He had a point.

“Shut up, you know what I mean,” she defended easily, but then had a thought. “Hey, have you ever lived with a girl?”

The sounds he made should have been confirmation enough, but Tish stared up at him and waited for his response. After a minute he answered.

“No.”

“Have you ever wanted to?”

“Again, no.” he scratched the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable in this spotlight, as he started walking away from her.

“Calm down. I was just curious.” Tish said as she stood and placed her hands at his waist, walking into the resulting embrace. She changed the subject to something safer. “How was your day?”

He looked down at her, the smile returning to his eyes. “Oh, it was fine. Well, except for one thing really. There seemed to lack a certain element of sass. All day, I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I stopped over here, hoping for a 'fix' before calling it a day and psychin’ myself up for doin’ it all again tomorrow.”

Tish squeezed his sides lightly and laughed. “So you’re here for a piece of sass? I’m afraid you’re out of luck, dearie." She immediately switched to a sultry tone of voice and rubbed against him proactively, "I’ve relaxed it all away. In fact, I spent the whole day working on my relaxation techniques...”

Priestly said nothing but Tish could feel the ridge of his cock begin to swell against her. She buried her head against his chest and laughed softly while he managed to let out a shuddering, yet somehow controlled, breath.

“Good God, woman.How is it you are able to take and make everything sound a thousand times sexier than it should be.”

"It's a gift?" She graced him with an innocent look which he promptly displaced as his lips descended on hers for a slow, soft kiss.

"It's something," he agreed.

But Tish was already ahead of him and his game. She stepped back from his arms. "How about some food. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

Priestly looked at her, confused. "Are you serious? I just left the grill... I'm fine."

"Oh yeah. Right. Well, then... It's there something you wanted to do? It’s still pretty early…”

"I'm doing what I want to do, right now." He said as she made her way to the fridge for a drink.

"And what's that?"

"Stopping here, after a long day on the line, so that I could see you."

Tish said nothing as she glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled. She loved when he said things like that, as if it were a simple matter of fact.

"So I was just watching a show if you want to sit for a while...we could watch something else. I could rub your shoulders...? I could rub your..." She swayed her hips back and forth as she walked back to the couch, grabbing his hand and tugging him down next to her.

"Tiiisshhh!" He warned.

"What? Kidding!! Just kidding...Well really only a little, but fine. That's a no. Can’t blame a girl for trying.” She tucked her legs beneath her and turned her body towards him “So what are your thoughts?"

"How about we just sit here and hang out for a bit."

“That’s fine. I’ll put some crap show on in the background and we can work on your relaxation.” He looked a little skeptical at that, so she clarified. “I promise to be good. How’s that?”

He smiled at her, not a full pearly white display, but a sweet smile filled with gratitude. She reached out and stroked his hair while he closed his eyes, leaning into the affectionate contact.

“I’m still not used to this.” She caught herself saying before she could stop the words.

“Me neither…” he agreed.

Suddenly, Tish began to formulate a plan. It was a devious one, but not injurious. If ever there was a time for masks to come off, the present was a great place to start. So she went for the bold approach.

“You know, I miss the mohawk, right? And the colors, and all of it...” She sighed, as her fingers slipped between the thick strands of his now shorter and less intimidating hair. Still, it was softer than she thought it might be, so that was nice. Spikey and soft don’t share a common denominator.

Priestly looked down at her as she snuggled in closer to him on the couch.

“Do you?” he asked cautiously, something igniting in his eyes. Tish wasn’t sure exactly what it was that she saw but she decided to answer him without her usual amount of lip service. In fact, she didn’t say a thing, she just looked up at him and nodded.

The look on his face was filled with a quiet irony, but he snuggled her closer and Tish thought it was a start.

“You probably find that hard to believe...especially coming from me.” she said as her hand rested across his stomach, running her fingers over it.

“Well, you have to forgive me if I am in a little shock, Tish. I never really saw myself as your type… as much as I…”

Tish pressed her finger lightly to his lips.

“Don’t...please don’t,” she said as she slowly let her finger trail away from his perfectly pouting lips, back down his chest and then across his stomach again. While this discarding of the costumes was a great way to begin, Tish wasn’t sure how much of the truth she was ready to handle from him. This was her night for confessing.

Priestly said nothing more, just watched her as she returned to her former cat state of comfort, curled against him. He began to stroke her side with the tip of his thumb as he held her.

“This show is terrible.” He finally said after a few minutes of silence. Tish looked up, she couldn’t even remember what was on. She had been too busy closing her eyes and listening to the beat of his heart. The rhythm had been fast at first, but eventually it regulated to a slow and steady cadence.

“ _Friends_? Really? You think this is a terrible show? What do you watch?”

He shifted his weight beneath her, she rode out the wave of his body. “I dunno, I don’t really watch much TV. I mean I guess this is ok, some of the jokes are funny. But really it’s all just fluff.”

“Of course it’s fluff. Silly and mindless. But it has it’s occasional uses, like being on in the background while you’re waiting for your _other_ to show up…”

“Your other?” he asked, a chuckle buried in his voice.

“Well yes, right now, you’re my other.”

He shifted so he could look down in her eyes. “Your other what?”

“I dunno, just my other. I don’t know what to call you,” Tish said honestly, reaching around his neck and stroking the fine, fuzzy hair just above his nape before allowing her fingertip to trace the tattoo on the side of his neck. “Did that hurt?” she asked, changing the subject.

His eyes were smiling at her again, crinkling around the edges in a way that was so very Priestly. He apparently decided to let the ‘other’ comment slide and for that Tish was thankful.

“It didn’t tickle,” he said easily. “But I’ve gotten ones that hurt worse.”

“Have I seen all of your tattoos?” Tish mused aloud and Priestly kinked his head back on the couch cushion, thinking up at the ceiling.

“I think so. At least parts of them. I have a couple on my back/shoulder, that you may not have seen the whole piece.”

“Will you show me?” Tish asked, biting her lip. Without even responding verbally, he gently began to lean forward, and Tish shuffled back giving him space as he lifted his tee shirt over his head and turned away from her so she could see his back.

 _God! What a beautiful back._ There were muscles and freckles and tattoos everywhere. Suddenly she thought about having a mirror installed on her ceiling. The thought made her giggle.

Priestly immediately tensed, ready to haul his shirt back over his head, when Tish realized what had just inadvertently happened.

“No!” she reached out to stop his progress. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you, I was laughing at a thought that I just had. And... it’s one you probably wouldn’t find amusing...but I’ll confess if you want me too.”

He peered over his shoulder at her.”Tell me,” he said, but it felt like a demand. One laced with insecurity. Tish sighed, ready for the kickback.

“I was just thinking about having a mirror installed over my bed…” she knew she sounded whorish. It really wasn’t mean to sound that way at all, but having the thoughts and saying them out loud were two totally different things. But whatever, she was a sexually liberated female who enjoyed looking at nice things.

This time when he pulled his shirt on, it was slower. And he hadn’t said anything in response. Now it was her turn to face a bit of that insecurity. He must really think she’s a hussy. _God, that was a hard image to shake_. She started to shift away from him slightly, now uncomfortable with her thoughts about his thoughts that were yet unknown to her. But then he reached for her and drew her back to him.

“Got any other confessions you want to get off your chest?” he said stiffly.

Tish couldn’t identify his tone. But he seemed relatively receptive to her words, so she decided to hit him with one more… all part of her plan.

“Actually, since you asked, and since we were talking about it before I do have one more thing to confess…” Priestly shut his eyes and he winced, Tish faltered. “Buuut, I won’t say it if you don’t want to hear it…” He shook his head, eyes still closed.

“Nope… Nope… let’s just do this, let’s just get this off your chest.” he peeked at her with one eye.

“Alriiight… here goes...last one tonight, I swear...” she leaned in so she could speak softly into his ear, like a real confession. “Sometimes at night, when I lay in bed and look down over my body, I want to see a Mohawk between my legs.”

She immediately felt his body tense. No longer was there anything remotely soft about his physique. Tish watched as the color first drained and then flooded his handsome face. His eyes were closed again as she silently observed him, tugging lightly on her lower lip with her teeth.

When he finally looked back at her face, she saw a muscle tic in his jaw. His eyes were heavy-lidded and shot through with desire.

"That was probably the most erotic thing anyone has ever said to me." He whispered, his voice rough.

Normally, Tish would have had a snappy _'best is yet to 'come''_ comment lined up, ready to fire, but the way he reacted changed the way she did and so she just cast her eyes down, smiling ruefully. At least he didn’t call her a slut, so that was a start.

As much as she wanted to bang Priestly, she was starting to dig the whole 'waiting a bit' idea. Especially after the moment that just passed between them. It had been hot. Steamy hot.

She hadn't even thought about what he might say or do in response to her confession. She just said exactly what she meant. Exactly what she fantasized about.

“Priestly?” she said his name hesitantly. “Will you sleep here tonight?”

He was quiet for a long moment. He did that a lot around her lately. Tish suddenly worried that he might say ‘no’, so she sweetened the pot. “I promise to behave. Just stay, please…”

He gave her a look that contained a myriad of emotions, but the last one she identified was resignation.

“I’ll stay Tish, but I don’t count on being able to sleep. Not now anyway… And I’m starting to wonder, too, about your definition of behaving...” The last bit was said with a smile, and some of her confidence returned.

“I keep my promises,’ she said lightly, smiling and curling back in towards the heat of his body. “You’ll have nothing to fear from me.”


	4. Chapter 4

By Saturday night, Tish was exhausted. She’d pulled two doubles, covering for Piper who was dealing with some issue or other with her beau, she’d helped Kirsten move into the apartment she would be sharing with her beau, and they had been slammed since opening this morning because of some festival/block party event that Trucker volunteered the Grill to participate in.

It had been great for sales, but murder on staff. As such, he had graciously given everyone tomorrow off. So Tish couldn’t wait to get out of her work clothes and into something comfy and sleep until she woke up, no alarms.

She flipped the open sign around and locked the door, looking for Priestly. She was finished with the side work and cleaning, but still, it was almost 9pm and she wanted to get home.

Tapping her fingers lightly, she saw his form silhouetted in the back room.

“Need any help?” She called out.

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll be ready in 5.”

“Okay.” And she walked around behind the counter and hopped up to sit. As promised, Priestly returned swiftly and made his way up to meet her.

Since Tish’s confessions the other night, he’d resumed his prefered style of dress. Offensive tee shirts, prickly hair, piercings in abundance. But she loved it all and made sure to show him her appreciation with little gestures during the day.

He walked up and planted himself in front of her legs, which she shifted wider so she could draw him closer. It wasn’t an invitation so much as a need to be near him. His arms slipped around her and she held him there for a moment before running her fingers up the length of his arms and drawing him in for a simple kiss, which quickly began to escalate.

Tish broke away first.

“So we can either make out here… or we can go back to one of our places and make out there. I vote the latter. It's been a long ass day.”

“Agreed.” said Priestly, locking his arms around her. He started to back up and give her some room to slide down off the counter, but instead she held him closer and pressed against him as she slid down. “Let’s go back to your place. It’s closer and less noise, there’s a few bands playing tonight below mine. I’m used to it, but my guess is that you would not enjoy. Especially in your current mood…”

Tish looked up into his eyes. “And what’s my current mood?”

“Well, if I had to wager on a guess, which I don’t, you’re tired and because of that you’re cranky, and as a result of that, you’re inclined to be whinier than usual…”

His tone was so serious that Tish had to study him for a moment to see whether or not he was joking. For his sake, though his assessment had been pretty spot on, she hoped he was, otherwise she’d have to figure out a way to punish him.

“I’m not whiny. At least not yet. But I will be soon, if you don’t take me home…” Tish threatened. He laughed and put his arm around her waist as she hopped down and he guided them both towards his car.

When they got to Tish’s apartment, she immediately began stripping the layers of her clothes off. “I’m jumping in the shower quick to get rid of the ick. Make yourself comfortable,” she yelled from her room as Priestly walked in and stood in the little entryway. Quickly she passed by him in nothing but her lacy red bra and denim cutoffs.

His eyes were glued to her, she could feel it. And she loved it, throwing a taunting look over her shoulder. She would be ready to play the game whenever he was, and it appeared that his urges were beginning to get the better of him.

They had been keeping a slow pace with regards to the intensity of their physical relationship. Luckily, they both found ways to tease the hell out of each other which was almost as fulfilling. Almost. But as Priestly began to follow Tish into towards the shower, she wondered if she’d finally flipped his switch.

His arms came around her from behind. “You are pure vixen! I swear you’re trying to put me in cardiac arrest,” he growled in her ear.

She pressed herself back against him; he was already hard.

“If you’re heart is going to stop, then I’m going to make sure that there is physical exertion involved.” She turned in his arms and brought his lips down to meet hers. His eyes were hazy with desire. “Now unless you’re going to pick me up and carry me into the bedroom, I suggest you find something to occupy yourself for a half hour while I shower.”

“Half hour?!? Really?” he was seriously perplexed. Tish gave him a jaunty smile.

“What can I say… this showerhead is amazing!” And with that she turned, leaving him staring after her. She thought she heard a string of curses from his lips as she closed the bathroom door… mostly.

She was wearing him down now… just a little bit more. She smiled as she climbed in and let the shower do the rest.

*      *      *

After toweling off and drying what she could of her hair, Tish grabbed the shirt she’d brought in and slid it on. It was one of Priestly’s that he’d left the other day. She held it out in front of her and read it upside down. She now sells crack for the CIA. It made her laugh as she pulled on her black boy-short panties.

When she heard no TV, no music,Tish felt something was up. It seemed almost like he had left, and God help him if he did. She was liking the whole “waking up with him in the morning” thing that they’d started since the other night.  

But when she opened the bathroom door all the way, she found herself staring directly at Priestly, kicked back on her couch with a book propped open. His eyes darted over at the creaking sound of the bathroom door and he fixed her with a painful look, covering his eyes with the book.

“Why?!?! Why do you do this to me?!” he cried, muffled by the pages. Tish gave another little laugh and padded barefoot towards to him. Slowly she brought the book away from his face and looked into his eyes.

“Am I hurting you? Doing something to make you feel bad?” she asked in mock concern. “Well, here let's make it better,” she crooned, getting ready to straddle him on the couch, the shirt lifting to expose more of her thigh as she drew her leg over him.

“Whoa! I’m fine! I mean, I’m not fine, I’m just so goddamn outta my mind for you right now, I can’t even think straight. I’ve read the same four sentences about a thousand times while you were in there, just to distract myself, and then you go and do this?”

“Hey! That’s not my fault! It was so quiet out here after the shower, I thought you might have left,” she said, in mild defense, casting her eyes away from him and settling herself on top of him.

“And I still might,” he said in a hollow threat as he caught hold of her hips and positioned her against him, groaning in some agony/ecstasy hybrid.

“So are you telling me that I have inadvertently discovered some of your kink?” she asked him sweetly and watched as his neck and cheeks, even beneath the shadowed growth of a few day old beard, became ruddy. Tish beamed at him, which seemed to embarrass him even more.

“Priestly,” she whispered, “Don’t be bashful with me… I’m having fun finding out all these little things. Which... is why I think you should move in...”

His hands dug into her lips a little harder before the gravity of her words sunk in and he scrambled to a sitting position with her still on top of him.

“Wha..!? What did you just say?!” his voice now gravelly and panicked.

“Hear me out. Don’t be such a pussy. I need a roommate. Your place costs you almost twice alone what it would cost you to move in here. I know you’ve mentioned saving to go back to school. Things can just go on as normal. I mean we do _know_ each other, we’re _friends_. This would save you some money and save me the hassle of looking for someone to pick up the slack. You can have Kirsten’s old room.”

She finished, hoping she’d made the prospect sound more inviting and less crazy. It had sounded much better in her head, now that she could reflect based upon the expressions registering on his poor, confused face.

“I...I just don’t know, Tish,” he looked down before continuing. “This is _really_ fast. And what if...what if things don’t work out?” A muscled tensed at his jawline.

“I’ve thought of that,” she said carefully. “If that ends up happening, you’d have to move out probably, but I think we can deal with that if it happens. Look, just think about it, okay.” She stroked the side of his face, his whiskers scratching at her hand.

“Okay…” he said slowly.

Suddenly Tish thought he looked very tired. “That was probably more than enough excitement for one day, eh?” She gently maneuvered from her position on his lap. “How about we just go to bed?”

Priestly just nodded, mute, as he allowed her to help haul him up from the couch and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. She let her hand slide down to find his and so she could guide him into the bedroom.

“Would you like a back rub?” she whispered turning off the little lamp near her headboard. Priestly made a sound of defeat before he proclaimed “God yes…”.

 He toppled face down onto her bed and crawled up to the pillows. Tish followed behind him and straddled his waist from behind. “Why don’t you take your shirt off.” she suggested against his ear. As she sat back on her knees, he hauled the shirt up over his head from his prone position, bucking against her. She gasped.

“Sorry…” came his muffled apology. But Tish wasn’t sorry at all. It actually excited her a little, but she tucked that thought away as she slid her palms across the broad expanse of his back. She traced the tattoos gently before she continued the soft stroking of his muscles, priming them before she went to work.

She decided to work his shoulders first. Their contours and slopes so defined against his folded arms. They looked extremely tight.

He hissed when she began to apply hints of pressure, loosening the stiffness in the muscles.

“Am I hurting you?” she asked quietly.

“Yes and hell no. It feels good.” his voice was muffled and his words slurred. Tish smiled and continued her work. Earning a sexy grunt or growl from Priestly in praise now and again.

By the time she finished, Priestly was a puddle of contentment and she was a bowstring of sexual frustration. She allowed herself a few deep breaths to calm down.

She was still kneeling, straddled over him, propped up by his ass. Seeing him from this vantage point only made her want the mirror above her bed that much more. He was an incredible specimen. She never would have guessed, but she always had imagined. Priestly moaned and then attempted to prop himself up, grabbing at her waist to steady her as he flipped carefully onto his back. The immediate physical contact and implication of their position made them both hold their breath for a minute.

Tish caved first, feeling awkward for some strange reason and she went to slide off of him but he captured her hips and held her in place. She tried to read his expression in the outside nighttime lights that streamed through the window into the shadowy bedroom, but she couldn’t.

He held her with one hand at her waist while his other began to slide around the curve of her hip and across her thigh. She gasped.

“Tish,” he whispered, leaning up to her, and she whimpered in response as his hand crept lower, his fingers continuing to probe for the hairpin release of her frustration.

She pressed herself against the heat of his palm as he carefully drew her panties to the side and fit the tip of his finger against her pussy. A little shiver coursed through her. Meanwhile he was pressing his face into the folds of the soft cotton shirt reaching around her waist and drawing her closer to him, increasing the friction between their bodies.

She had somehow reflexively wrapped her arms around his shoulders and was running her hands over his back and up through the spiky tips of his hair. She shuddered as she felt the patches of his warm breath through the fabric of her shirt. Suddenly nothing was more important than taking it off.   

Slowly she reached between them and grabbed the hem, dragging it slowly up her body. She paused with the edge of the shirt just beneath her breasts. Priestly held his breath. She let her hold linger there, enjoying his reaction, transfixed on her every movement. It was almost orgasmic.

“I’m warning you, Priestly. If this isn’t going to happen, then we cut the bullshit now.” Tish said between her own ragged breaths.

“I don’t want to stop,” he said roughly against the fabric just beneath her right breast, nuzzling her there. “I don’t think I can. I was a fool thinking that I could. It must have been temporary insanity after you agreed to have dinner with me that first night.”

He hadn’t stopped moving against her and it was driving her mad. She gently lifted the rest of the hem, exposing her breasts to his gaze. The sound he made was practically feral. She slipped the rest of the material over her head and cast the shirt aside, grabbing for his neck as he buried himself in the valley between her breasts.

He slipped another finger between her folds and the pad of his thumb stroked her. She needed her panties off. Now. She shrugged back away from Priestly, and he made a sound of dismay, but then realized her purpose. He shifted himself, drawing down his boxers.

Tish gasped at the contact of their skin and pressed herself against him, his thumb once again pinned between her swollen clit and the ridge of his cock. She almost came at the visceral sensation, but he edged her up and angled himself.

She was ready. She couldn’t have been more ready as she lowered herself onto him, feeling the swell of his cock fill her. She tightened around him, gliding cautiously at first, testing the fit of their bodies.

Priestly growled deep in his throat, teeth clenched, as Tish rocked slowly against him. She was trapped in a daze of heady sensations and sounds. Priestly had moved his ministrations, now that he was buried deep inside her and instead his hands were roving seeking other parts of her body to elicit her enjoyment.

“God Tish,” he purred, lifting himself up and taking the tip of her breast in his mouth, fondling it with his tongue. “You feel so good. So...hot.”

Her hand reached behind his neck, dragging his attention from her roused nipple. He flicked his tongue roughly over its peak in protest, and Tish cried out, bringing the straining tip back to his lips.

“I like you like this,” She whispered into his hair, tugging the strands between her fingers.

He murmured some sort of accession as he released her nipple and pulled her lips down towards his, thrusting himself deeper. Tish moaned in pleasure, but it was swallowed up by his demanding kiss.

His hand slid from her nape, dragging softly over her breast, stopping briefly again at its peak, before plunging downward, dipping between their joined bodies. He found her clit and pinched at it lightly.

“Priestly, goddamn you. Don’t make me beg!” Tish said breathlessly. She felt the rumble of his laughter against her breasts as he drove himself up hard.

 “Funny, Tish, because I was just thinking of doing exactly that. I bet you don’t ever have to beg for much, do you?” He said softly, pricking her anger. “But that’s just the problem I think. Because you want to beg and no one ever makes you. Am I on the right path, here?” He asked, as he began to stroke her a little faster.

Tish couldn’t find words to respond, just small simpering sounds that sounded furiously desperate, even to her own ears.

“One word, Tish.... just one word, because I already know what you want...” his motions controlled, his voice deep and low. She felt the tension between them building.

“Please, Priestly…” she breathed. And then he was sending her over the edge of passion as they both clawed and raced their way to oblivion.

She was the first to break, stars filling her vision as pleasure cascaded through her body, wracking her gently against him as he crashed through his own passion just seconds later. His chest heaved against hers as his arms threaded tightly around her. She sighed and went slack against him, toppling them both down on the mattress.

Tish went to roll away from him, but he caught her tight in his arms and stayed her motion, gently disengaging them and curling her against his side. “We can tidy things in a moment, for now, how about just laying here with me. I’m not ready to let you go yet.” The words sounded sleepy and Tish began to relax again.

This wasn’t just any guy. This was Priestly. And she’d pretty much just had the best sex she’s had in a very long time. Tish wondered if waiting were really the trick. Playing the game for all it was worth, then finally giving in. She felt the rise and fall of his chest as she stroked it, the rhythm eventually lulling her to sleep in the warmth of his arms.

 

*       *       *

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Tish woke up first the next morning. Opening her eyes, she found herself looking at the sun bathed repose of Priestly, all vulnerable and unsuspecting. She smiled, loving this moment. And all the previous ones they had shared from the night before. And before that, etc, etc.

Quietly, she slid out from beneath the covers and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and perform her morning ablutions. She decided to let him sleep. He had definitely exerted himself and had earned the extra rest. In the meantime, she would make some coffee and maybe even surprise him with a little breakfast in bed.

As she padded over to the stove and put the water on for the French press, she grabbed her cellphone. There was a missed call from her mother. And there was a voicemail. _Ugh!_

As much as she didn’t want to check it, she knew her mother didn’t leave messages unless they were somewhat important. Usually Tish would just see the missed call and then call back when she could. She loaded the voicemail and almost dropped the phone when she heard the message.

_Hello daughter! It’s just your mother, checking in. I’m going to be in the area and thought I would stop by to see you if you had the day off. Call me when you get this._

Tish immediately locked herself in Kirsten’s old room and called her back. After the third ring, her mother picked up.

_Hello?_

“Hi, Mom.” Tish whispered, even though she knew Priestly wouldn’t be able to hear her.

“Hi dear. I was hoping you would get my message. Your aunt and I decided to take a drive down to see you… and well do some shopping and have lunch too. Are you free today?”

Tish bit her lip. “Yeah. I actually have the day off. Priestly and I were just going to lounge around today, maybe go to the beach or something later. What time do you think you’ll be in town?”

“Probably in a couple of hours… so Priestly. Is this _the_ Priestly you’ve been mentioning every once in a while?”

“Yes.” Tish was brief in answering. She didn’t know what to say. She knew she’d brought up her interest before… but that was when there had been nothing but a friendship between them. And at that point, it never looked like they would get any further than that. “Maybe you both should just take your time and we’ll meet up for lunch. That way you can meet him. What do you think?”

“That’s a lovely idea! Your aunt will be thrilled to finally see where you live. I’ve always liked that building. It has character. Not as much as my daughter…but still.”

Tish loved her mother. Really she did. Especially when she said something so genuinely supportive. “Thanks, Mom. So I’ll see you then around noon or so. That’ll give me enough time to prepare Priestly.”

Her mom laughed. “Ok, sweetheart. See you in a little while then. Kiss!”

“Kiss!” Tish whispered fervently and hung up. She carefully opened the door and tiptoed back out to check on the boiling water. There were no other sounds in the apartment which meant Priestly still slept. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was just a little after 8. Even early for her to be up when she didn’t have to work.

As she prepped the coffee maker, she thought about the night before. Just the memory gave her the chills. It had been so intense and perfect. And when he held her close after their passionate encounter, she felt dizzy with emotions.

At some point in the night, she’d woken up to Priestly stroking her with a feather light touch. She’d finally opened her eyes in the darkness and found he was also awake, just lovingly petting her. She’d reached up her hand and caressed the stubble on his cheek, it prickled her skin.

When her thumb brushed across his lips, he’d kissed it and from there, they’d started loving each other all over again. When she slept again, it was because she’d exhausted every reserve of energy she’d gained since their previous session. And once more she’d curled into his side and he held her. Everything was just _so different_ with him.

After the coffee was made and the waffle iron was heating up, Tish decided it was time to go and wake her _sleeping beauty._ Standing in the doorway of her room, she paused, reluctant. But if he was going to meet her mother, then the more time he had to get used to the idea, the better. She already anticipated a minor meltdown. Meeting the parents usually happened way later in the relationship timeline…not that any of her previous conquests were ever around long enough to get to that point.

He was still naked, and the covers had slipped dangerously low on his hips. Tish could see that while Priestly still slept, other parts of him were definitely _awake_. She decided to get him up nice and slow.

Tiptoeing towards the bed, she carefully crawled on it before angling herself into the best position for her to apply her talent. Lifting the sheet gently aside, she employed her hands first to explore his body, softly, _reverently_. He moaned in his sleep, his cock extending even more under her gentle touch.

She was teasing herself way more than she was him, suddenly shy and she wasn’t sure if she should continue. But when she stopped, he whimpered and that was all it took to escalate this into something far more devious.

She pressed soft kisses along his abdomen and chest, her hair trailing over the flat planes. He shivered and she looked up. His eyes were still closed but she wondered how close he might be to waking. As she resumed her attentions, this time kissing her trail back down along his torso, she held her breath, her mouth hovering over his erection.

Softly she blew a wispy breath over him, teasing him. His hips rose from the sensation, another soft groan escaping his lips. And then she took him into her mouth, attempting to rouse him in earnest… not that he wasn’t already aroused.

A shuddering breath followed by a swift inhalation made her smugly satisfied. She’d secretly had a fantasy about waking him up like this and a more perfect opportunity could not have presented itself.

As she stoked the early morning passion, she dug her nails lightly into his hips. Every sound he made was more than enough encouragement to continue her efforts. Her hand slipped down to work together with her mouth and then it appeared his climax was imminent.

She knew he was finally awake when his hand slipped into her hair and he whispered her name. That was all it took for her to drive him over the edge as she accomplished her goal in pleasuring him. When the moment was finished, she scooted up, sitting next to him on the bed as he curled himself around her waist, his head resting on her lap. He kissed her thigh.

“Good Morning…” he mumbled, squeezing her until she squealed.

“Good Morning,” she murmured, leaning down to kiss his ear. “Sleep well?” She asked innocently.

“Mmmmmm…” was all he managed before adding “waking up was even better, though…”

He looked up at her then, all sleep sexy, and propped himself up to give her a proper kiss. It left her head swimming.

“I’ve made some coffee. And I’m about to start breakfast. I hope you like waffles.”

Tish climbed out of the bed, aware that Priestly was watching her every move. She was at least glad to have some validation that he appreciated her body as much as she did his. Not that she’d needed it. It had been this way with them for months and months.

As she fixed the coffee and was beginning with the waffles, she heard Priestly make his way to the bathroom. She had rinsed the blueberries and strawberries and was just finishing up with the second batch, when he emerged bathed and clothed.

“Hey no fair, I haven’t showered yet!” Tish scolded. “In fact, I am making you breakfast. That is not something to take for granted…”

“Oh no??” he laughed as he came up behind her and nuzzled the hollow between her shoulder and neck. “And here I thought you were buttering me up for something.”

Tish laughed as he found the sensitive spot beneath her ear. “Well as a matter of fact, I guess I kind of am a little bit. My mom and my aunt are stopping by around noon. They want to go out for lunch and I told them it would be ok…”

Priestly straightened up. “I’m meeting your mother? Ok Tish, you’re starting to freak me out a bit. First you say ‘oh yeah, how about moving in?’, and next thing, ‘my mom is coming over’, how’s that?” When he imitated her, he used a high pitched voice to mock her. She looked at him and could tell instantly he wasn’t serious. She rewarded him with a beaming smile and a peck on the cheek.

“Fine, so what do I do? What do I wear?” he looked down at his skater shorts and rebellious sloganed tee shirt. And for a minute she said nothing and just looked at him.

“I think you’re fine the way you are. More than fine, actually…”

He kissed her then. Soundly on the lips. “And if I wanted to make a good impression?” He asked quietly.

Tish ran her fingers through his spiky damp hair. “If you wanted to make a good impression, then just be yourself. It worked for me… you know… eventually.” She added with a little sass.

“Great. Looks like I’ll be running home for some preppy clothes.” He smiled, looking down, studying her face.

Tish loved how his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. She leaned up on her tiptoes giving him a quick kiss. “Sure. You can do that, but not until after waffles…”


	6. Chapter 6

When Priestly returned, Tish was impressed. He’d managed the perfect apparel combination of who he is and also he was looking to either impress or appease her mother. His plain black t-shirt fit snug across his broad chest and his khaki cargo shorts were not laden with anarchical patches or chains. He _did_ manage to work his big black boots into the outfit, but that endeared him to her all the more. The piercings and tattoos were inevitable.

When he’d entered and opened himself up for her appraisal, Tish merely walked up to him and on her tiptoes, planted a swift kiss on his lips. It was only afterwards that he let himself smile.

“So where are we going, anyways?” he asked, more than a little bit of concern in his voice. “Please do not say _the Grill_.”

Tish smiled. If she knew her mother, they’d be dining at someplace _a bit_ fancier than the Grill. Her mother was not one to sacrifice when it came to an outing with her rebel daughter. Just because Tish’s family had money, it didn’t mean Tish was willing to live tucked away in it. In fact, she found it stifling and conventional.

All the things she was not.

Granted, her mother was always there to ‘help’ her out of a bind. But Tish did not often take advantage of her family’s wealth or position. She liked her life just fine the way it was. Even better, now that she had an ‘ _other_ ’ to share it with.

“Yeah, we’re definitely not going to the Grill. In fact… I should probably tell you something about my family before they get here.” Tish looked down at her watch. It was almost noon.

“Well you better hurry. They’ll be here any minute. I was actually freakin’ that I might be late because there was some traffic thing and citrus was everywhere…” he paused with the look Tish gave him. “Never mind. It’s hard to explain. But I'll probably have nightmares...”

Tish let herself fold into his arms that opened automatically for her. _THAT_ was something else she’d come to enjoy. It never mattered, whatever they were doing, wherever they were, if she reached out for him, he was just suddenly there.

_He’d always been there…_

A bittersweet smile played on her lips and she thought about dragging him to the bedroom for a quick little treat, but refrained knowing her mother would be there soon.

“So about my family... you see, I’m kind of the black sheep…” she began to confess and Priestly frowned looking down at her in disbelief. She could tell he was trying to figure out exactly what she meant, but she didn’t have time to explain when there was a knock on her apartment door. With baited breath, she extracted herself from a tensing Priestly’s arms and went to the door, opening it.

A woman in a neat white linen suit swept regally into the apartment, immediately looking out of place. Tish smiled and wrapped her arms around her. “Hello, Mom, ” she said with great affection. “Auntie…” Tish leaned towards the other woman in a sporty summer sundress. She turned slightly to gauge Priestly’s response, which he was still upright, so that was a plus.

“Mom, Auntie, I’d like to introduce you to Priestly.”

He stood there a moment, like a deer in headlights, before a smile lit his face and he seemed to remember some form or other of manners.

“It’s very nice to meet you both,” Priestly said, reaching out his hands to clasp theirs in turn, but Tish’s mother had other plans when she drew him in and gave him a hug.

“It’s very nice to finally meet you, Priestly.” Tish’s mother said, genuinely pleased. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you."

 _Dammit Mom!_ Tish could tell the minute she began to blush and when Priestly met her eyes, she knew her face flushed even more.

“I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about over lunch. I’m very excited to hear the whole story about how you two broke through that ice.”

Priestly was back to looking like a deer in headlights when he shot her a glance over her mother’s head. She’d have to tell her mom later, when they had a private moment, to just relax.

“Well,” her mother chimed again, “shall we go? Our reservations are for 12:45p at _La Rue Belle_ …”

“La Rue…”Priestly began and gone was the deer in headlights. Now there was sheer terror on his face. He knew it was one of the fanciest restaurants in this part of town, and he was severely outclassed.

Tish, seeing that as her cue, skittered over to his side and reached for his hand as her mother stepped back and towards the door. He looked down at her and squeezed her hand in silent desperation. She squeezed back. If he hadn’t actually been so upset, she would have found the whole thing entirely amusing. When anything unsettled the cool, collected Priestly, it was always noteworthy.

And so far the only thing that he really ever seemed unnerved by was her… and now her mother. Tish wasn’t sure she liked that comparison, but she promised herself, and silently him, that she would make it up to him.

As they left her apartment and climbed into her mother’s Escalade, Tish could feel Priestly’s eyes burning holes into her profile. Twice, meekly, she glanced over at him and just smiled. He, on the other hand, did not.

Lunch had been thankfully uneventful after only a few awkward moments while ordering some of the harder to pronounce items on the menu. Other than that, Priestly had behaved the perfect gentleman. He conversed with both ladies, eventually with greater ease and comfort. And Tish encouraged whenever she could.

Each time she spoke, however, she felt the burgeoning questions that were piercing her with just his gaze. He held doors, he used the fancy flatware, and executed every move to the best of his adaptable abilities.

By the time they had finished and were returning to Tish’s apartment, she could tell Priestly was exhausted just from the efforts he was making to not make a mistake or a fool of himself. They pulled up in front of her apartment and parked. Again, Tish tried to silently reassure Priestly, of what she wasn’t sure, but she thought at least the thought would count for something, but by now, there was some simmering emotion and she found herself beginning to worry. Something she tried hard to **never** do.

“It’s been a pleasure, “ her mother said, coming around to the sidewalk in front of the building and approaching him, arms outstretched. He gently leaned in to her embrace and Tish waited for his eye contact. It never came.

“You too,” he said, but the sentiment lacked a note of warmth that Tish was glad her mother wouldn’t be able to identify. Her aunt also extended the niceties of their meeting and when the women both were finished saying their goodbyes to Tish, she immediately went to stand by his side. Why she felt the need to protect him suddenly, she couldn’t quite understand.

They both stood there, in silence, as the women retreated into the well-equipped SUV and departed, her mother promising to call when they were safely back home.

Tish looked up expectantly at Priestly after they were no longer in sight. A muscle in his jaw twitched. He wasn’t just angry. He was furious.

 _Dammit!_ She knew she had to say something now, or risk losing him. She didn’t know how she knew this, but she did.

“So,” she began trying to slide her arm around his side, ever-so-gently, but he pulled away. The emptiness of her embrace, a testament to her unspoken fear.

“No, Tish…” he began softly. “Not right now… I gotta… I gotta go. I have this thing I need to do.”

She felt his subtle rejection like a punch in the gut. She should have told him. Should have explained the circumstances of her family. Explained how she was the daughter of a rich investment banker and a lawyer. A _divorce_ lawyer. She should have explained her privileged upbringing, her private school education, her first foray into making her own monetary investments and decisions.

But she didn’t. She always thought he would judge her so harshly. And obviously she hadn’t been wrong.

It didn’t matter that she was trying to make her own decisions, live her life, earn her keep. All that suddenly mattered was the enormous gap that class and status had somehow created between them in less than three hours.

She let her hand drop.

She knew she couldn’t make him stay, especially when he was so worked up that he vibrated with quiet fury. He needed to blow off steam and not for the first time since they’d been closing in on each other, she recognized his need for space. As much as she didn’t want to, she let his excuse slide.

“Well, alright… Will I see you later?”

His green eyes were bright with pent up emotion and she knew he was desperately close to losing his composure.

“I don’t know,” came his soft reply as he stepped away from her.

It was then that Tish mustered every bit of her self-control she’d ever possessed. She let him step away. She didn’t try and reach out again. She didn’t follow him down the sidewalk as he slowly made his way to his car.

And she didn’t let the first tear slide down her cheek until he’d pulled away from the curb.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Almost to the end. This one has hints of alcohol consumption, just adding that to the warning. Other than that, I hope you enjoy.

At that moment, Tish knew what she needed, but she hated even having to ask for it. The tears were streaming now with nothing holding them back. She didn’t have to look pretty, she didn’t have to wear a mask. She just needed to let it all out.

She reached for her phone. Biting the bullet, she drafted a quick text, hoping that maybe some of the gals from the Grill would be around. As much as she wanted to deny it, what she really needed was some female companionship. _Wouldn’t that just shock the world?_ She hit send quickly, before she could change her mind..

_Hey ladies. Anyone have an opening for a little girltime today? I could use some…_

If there were any takers, Tish knew what it was she had to do. She was going to fess up to the lot of them about her life. At this point, she was almost certain Jen would know. She and Priestly had been friends long before Tish started at the Grill.

As she walked back upstairs to her apartment, the replies began buzzing in. Jen, Piper and Zo all said they could be there within the hour. Then other texts followed asking her if they should bring chocolate, or alcohol, or both. Let the _mother hen_ -ning begin.

Tish had never really had friends before like the ones she had because of the Grill. She’d always marched to her own beat, and growing up privileged did not always foster the best or easiest ‘alliances’ when it came to calling someone a true friend.

Tish blamed Trucker for it all. He was the source, the reason her life had become so full and enriched with the few but wonderful people that surrounded her. For a while she took it for granted, not really understanding how she should behave. But once she found her groove, she went with it, and her whole life had changed, mostly for the better, as a result.

And now, well, she’d fucked up. Tish realized she should have been honest from the get-go, but everything seemed so convoluted. And then she fell into a pattern that was just easy to maintain. No one asked any real questions about her past and she never volunteered the information, hoping that it didn’t matter.

But apparently it did.

Tish had listened, especially recently as each of her friends (well, mostly the women) had confessed some of their deepest insecurities and fears. And she had just absorbed it all, offering support and guidance, but never reciprocating the trust. At the very least she should have told Priestly. But that was a hindsight issue now.

Hopefully her ladies would be more willing to forgive and embrace. She’d realized too late with Priestly that she’d hurt him by not confiding. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t know her background, but probably more to the tune that she hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him herself.

A mistake she would not make again with her ladies. A mistake she would hopefully be able to fix with _him._

She kept herself occupied by flipping channels, waiting for her reinforcements to arrive. She happened to land on a syndicated episode of ‘ _Friends’_ and left it there _._ She could use a little fluff right now.

Piper was the first to arrive and gave her an immediate hug as soon as she walked in.

“Geez, I must look terrible if I automatically get a hug.” Tish tried to joke, but Piper just cupped the side of Tish’s face gently and gave her an understanding look, causing more tears to slip down her cheeks. Tish tried to laugh them away. “I can’t believe I’m actually like this. I must look pitiful.”

“You don’t.” Piper tried to reassure her, “You just look sad. And I don’t like you looking sad. It makes me feel like I don’t know what to do. Like the world is turned sideways.” She picked through her sling bag and withdrew a huge bottle of wine. “How about a little drink? You look like you could use a little something to fortify.”

Tish nodded and walked her into the kitchen space. They were discussing Tish’s decorating talents when Zo and Jen showed up together. They had similar reactions as Piper when they saw Tish, each hugging her in turn. She didn’t even bother trying to stop the tears leaking from her eyes this time. Surprisingly, Jen took the most active role in comforting her.

After they all had sufficient amounts of wine in their glasses and chocolate within arm’s reach, Jen broke the ice on the real reason Tish called them.

“So… what’s going on, Tish? I’ve never seen you like this.”

Tish laughed at that, but it was the kind of hiccupping laugh that came just before a sob. This was probably the first time they had ever seen her cry. It wasn’t something she did often. It made her feel even more vulnerable. And Jen’s questioning look held more knowledge, Tish was sure of it.

They collected in Tish’s ‘living room’, which essentially her apartment was just a big open room with the exception of the bedrooms and the bathroom. It was actually a nice space to be creative in. Tish planted herself on the couch and her friends circled the wagons around her.

“Thanks for coming over,” she began humbly. She knew they would come, but the fact still made her feel valued. “I set this up for two reasons. One is completely selfish, to be honest, it was the first reason why I reached out to you, and I know that’s bad. But the second reason was because I have something I think I feel I should probably just tell you. I didn’t think it would have such an impact, but apparently it might, if I’m able to gauge anything based off of Priestly’s reaction.” Jen met Tish’s eyes at the mention of Priestly and tried to reassure her with a small smile.

All the ladies were listening now. All eyes on Tish.

“So, here’s how the story goes. Well… first, do any of you know how I met Trucker?” They all shook their heads. “Ok, so we’ll go back even further. About two years ago, I was out one day and I set my bag down for not even 10 seconds and this punk came out of nowhere and swiped it. I barely had time to register what happened and shout for help. And then I look up to see this guy simply reach out his arm and snag the bag from the thief. The thief panicked and ran, but the guy that just saved my bag kept idly walking towards me. Cool and calm, like the whole thing didn’t even happen.” Tish paused for a sip of wine and realized her audience was not only stunned, but also completely captivated.

“So, that’s how I met Trucker. I tried to give him something. A reward for saving my belongings, but he would have none of it. All he gave me was his name and he mentioned having to get back to his grill. It took me three tries before I found the right one.” Tish stood, suddenly uncomfortable with all the focused attention, and went to get another glass of wine.

“I never knew that part,” Jen was saying to the other ladies, amazed. “He never said anything about it.”

“Well, it gets better,” Tish said before continuing. “So it took a while, but when I finally found The Grill, I walked in and Trucker was the first person I saw. His face lit up when I walked in. I will never forget that. He was genuinely happy to see me. I had gotten him a card and put some money in it. The same amount he saved from being stolen from me. I wanted to do something nice. I couldn’t think of anything else. But when he opened the card, a frown creased his brow when he saw the money. He folded it up and handed it back to me, but he kept the card.”

“I remember that day. I had no idea what was happening, but it was the first day you started working at the Grill,” Jen recalled the memory now with a new perspective, smiling at Tish.

“Yup, I noticed the help wanted sign, and seeing as how he gave me back the money, I had a different idea on how I could show my appreciation. And well, that was how I could help Trucker.”

The ladies cooed and chirped about what a sweet story that was, but Tish interrupted them.

“Well, that’s only the first half of it. You see. I didn’t need a job. In fact, I’ve never needed a job. _That’s_ really what I’m trying to confess right now. Nobody knew about my life, my background, because I didn’t want them too. I didn’t want to be an outsider. Especially after I began to realize what it was that I gained by being employed at the Grill. It was like I finally fit someplace.”

All eyes were again on Tish and she could tell she lost some of them in the translation.

“Ok, so let me try and put this another way. And really I’m not trying to sound like a bitch. I know, hard to believe, right? This apartment that we’re in right now? I own it. I own the whole building. For my high school graduation, my parents bought me property. And I’ve invested in several others in the area.”

A slow understanding began to spread through the little group as they each, in turn began to realize what Tish was telling them. Piper spoke first.

“So what you are saying is that you are, um, financially blessed?”

Tish let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, waiting for the others to start to close themselves off from her as she anticipated they would. But to her surprise, they did not. She nodded.

“Tish, that’s a beautiful story.” Piper continued. “So, you earn your keep. You work for your privilege. I think that’s wonderful. And you’re still at the Grill! Wow, Trucker knows how to keep a secret, that’s for sure.”

“Well, to be fair, I don’t think Trucker ever knew about my financials. It was always a hard thing to talk about. I didn’t want people to instantly judge me when they found out about my… well… my worth.”

This time Zo responded. She got up and wrapped her arms around Tish, bringing on a fresh wave of tears.

“Oh Tish… your worth is not monetary. How could it be? The fact that you tried so hard to hide it, well. That speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. The fact that you reached out when you found someone else needed your help and you did the best thing you could think of to assist, that means you are a good person. A sweet and kind person.”

Tish choked on a laugh, again through the shroud of tears. “Well, I wouldn’t go overboard, Zo…”

“I know you say that and actually believe it, but that’s not who you are to me. And I can even understand why you didn’t want to tell anyone. So, thank you for trusting us and letting us into a part of your lives that you kept most people out of. I could never be upset with you for that. You wanted people to accept you for who you are as a person, not how you could potentially benefit them. It was brave of you to speak up and tell us.”

At that, Tish looked up into the faces of Piper and Jen, waiting to see derision in their eyes, but she found none. Instead she found acceptance and understanding. Sure, it was a strange thing to be worried about, but at this point, she’d known Jen and Priestly the longest. Really connected with them both and their opinion meant more to her than she willingly would have admitted out loud.

Jen got up too, and so did Piper, swarming in for their turn at hugs and wiping stray tears from Tish’s face. Looking around, Tish noted she wasn’t the only one who was weepy now. _Thank God!_

“So… that’s my story. Bring on the hate mail…” Tish tried to joke, but really she was still too shaky and it came out sounding a bit more pathetic than she wanted it too. She wasn’t trying to garner their pity; she just wanted to have a clear conscience.

Jen peered into Tish’s eyes. “Thank you for telling us. And trusting us.” She stroked a hand over Tish’s head. “It certainly explains a lot about the text I got from Priestly a little while ago.”

Tish shrugged. “Yeah, I pretty much figured he told you.”

“Well, he didn’t tell me everything, but I’m assuming he found out about this in a way very different than what it is we’re doing here…”

“He sure did. My mother stopped by and took us to lunch… at _La Belle Rue_ … It was pretty much downhill from there, although he never once treated my family with anything but respect. When my mother dropped us back off, he left too. I know I hurt him by not telling him sooner. Now I don’t know what to do to make it better…”

“Well, that does seem likely. Priestly is not one to hold back on attacking ‘the rich and famous’ when he gets on one of his tirades,” a lightbulb went off in Jen’s mind. “Oh God, he’s probably pissed at _himself_ for all the stupid things he’s said in front of you!”

Tish laughed, honestly believing Jen was joking. But Jen’s expression was stone cold sober.

“Do you really think that’s why he’s upset? He left so quickly. I… I don’t know.”

“Well, regardless. Just breathe. He’ll come around,” Jen tried to encourage. “He’s liked you for so long Tish, I don’t think there is much that could make him stay away. Especially now, when you two are actually something to one another. My guess is that he feels bad and probably not good enough for you.”

Tish began to cry again. “I never wanted him to feel that way. Ever.”

“We know,” Jen said, soothing her. “But guys sometimes take things differently. Well, girls can too, but I get the sense that this is a deep Priestly issue. He’s doubting himself…not you…”

Suddenly Jen’s words made perfect sense. Tish only hoped she could convince him to hear her out.

“What did his text say?” Tish asked, not caring if she was nosy.

“He asked me what I was doing. If I wanted to meet up with him.”

“Did you tell him you were coming here?”

“No, I told him that I had a few things to do.”

“You should go be with him. He needs someone right now too. You don’t have to mention that you were here. Somebody should be with him…”

“You’re right,” Jen said after a minute. “And that somebody should be you…”

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8 - Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it...

Tish wanted to argue, but Jen was persistent. And so therefore she allowed herself to be collected from her couch and ushered into Jen’s car, to be taken to the spot where Priestly was going to be. The idea of just showing up there, without giving him any warning brought out the _flight_ in her ‘fight or flight’ response. If Priestly really wanted to be in her company, then he never would have left.

She thanked the ladies for coming out and being there for her and they all hugged once more as she sank into Jen's passenger seat, sealing her fate.

The car ride was blessedly brief and Jen had squeezed her hand a couple of times during the course of it when she’d noticed how tightly Tish’s fists were clenched in her lap. As they neared the little beachside coffee cabana, Jen tried to reassure her again.

“Trust me, Tish. He needs _you_ right now, more than he needs _me_. He might not think so, but after what you’ve just told us, and knowing how he’s felt about you for so long, you are the only one that can convince him. Time to be strong and employ some of your own advice.”

Tish had thought she was finished crying back at her apartment, but apparently she’d been wrong as a teardrop rolled down her cheek. The last thing she wanted to do was show up a blotchy, puffy-eyes mess only to have him walk away from her again. Not to mention that second glass of wine had left her feeling vulnerable in the extreme.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Jen. If he won’t listen, and you know how he can get, I’m not sure how I will be able to take it.”

“I'll be just around the corner, not far. Fuzzy is meeting me out and I told him that we may be employed as a taxi service, should things not pan out. But I know Priestly…and  I know you too, and I really think this is for the best. If you are really uncomfortable, I can turn around though. I would never leave you in a situation that you can’t handle.”

Tish thought about it and knew that, ultimately, Jen was right. Again. Or maybe it was Tish’s own advice, flipped back around on her. But either way, she was more nervous than she’d even been before where Priestly was concerned.

As they pulled up to the beachfront parking, Tish could see Priestly sitting on top of one of the picnic tables off a ways to the side. Jen reached over and gave her an awkward passenger side hug as Tish unbuckled her seatbelt.

“You’ll be ok. I’ll be close by if you need me. Trust yourself. You’ll know what to do.”

The advice, albeit generic, was sound. And Tish felt a fresh wave of emotion creep up on her as she looked at the unsuspecting Priestly. She never realized just how deep his own insecurities ran when it came to her. She still didn’t, she was going on secondhand information filtered through Jen.

His head was bent, looking down at the sand and suddenly all she could think about doing was consoling him. Hopefully he would let her. With a last look shared with Jen, Tish got out of the car.

She watched as Priestly looked up at the sound of the car door closing. He shook his head and stood up, looking like he was ready to leave when he noticed who was walking towards him. Tish faltered in her steps, feeling the reverb from his defensive posturing, but somehow she kept moving forward. She knew they were both vulnerable, both volatile, and that the only way they could overcome their obstacles was _together_.

He observed her approach like a tethered animal. And then finally, _finally_ , she was standing before him.

“So what is this?” he asked, irritated, before she’d even had a chance to greet him. Tears swam in the corners of her eyes and she looked away. She was going to say things to him, yes, but that didn’t mean she had to look him in the eyes while he broke her heart even more.

“This is me, standing before you, apologizing.” Her voice sounded brittle and she wished she had more wine to grease the verbal gears. But… she didn’t, so she took a deep breath and continued. “I know I’m not who you wanted or expected to see. I just wanted… _needed_ … to talk to you.”

“And what did you want to talk about, exactly?” He stood perfectly still. If it hadn’t been for the movement of his lips, she would have thought he was one of the stone statues that dotted the beach walk landscape.

“Well, besides saying I’m sorry for what happened earlier, I wanted to buy you a cup of coffee and tell you a little story.” Tish waited. She wasn’t sure she could continue without any sort of encouragement from him to do so. Despite their budding relationship, she’d become accustomed to relying on Priestly when she needed someone to talk to, to listen. He was her _friend_ , too.

He was looking into her eyes now and she held her breath, hoping for a response. His shoulders then sagged, just slightly, but it was all the sign she needed.

“Coffee can wait,” he said stiffly. Tish waited for him to say more, but he fell silent.

“Ok. Well then, how about just the story then…” she said, not waiting for an answer. She proper herself up on the picnic table, so she now sat next to him as he stood. Neither one facing the other. “Once upon a time, I started working at this place and it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.”

Priestly let out a cynical snort, and Tish flinched, but kept going.

“The reason for that being was, for the first time, I found myself being accepted for nothing more than who I am. Or, should I say, for who everyone _thought_ I was. For the first time, I didn’t have to try and figure out if people liked me for just me, or if they had other motives for being my friend. My family is wealthy. I can’t deny that. But I could hide it… and at the time, it seemed like the best thing to do, especially as I began to discover that I really liked what I was doing. I liked the people surrounding me; I liked who I was around them. And I felt they liked me too.”

Tish paused, again checking to see if Priestly was going to contribute anything. And still, he didn’t.

“I remember my first week there was a little rough. I kept getting the evil eye from this guy that worked there. I would hear him mumbling under his breath about how the ‘new girl’ didn’t know anything about working in the food industry and a couple of times I wanted to tell him that he was right. That I _didn't_ know anything, and that he should excuse the infraction and just deal with it. But I couldn’t. And the reason why, you ask? Well, it was because I was trying to impress him by working that much harder to get things right. Yes… _I_ was trying to impress _him_.”

Tish saw Priestly turn his head towards her in her peripheral, but she did not look at him. She decided she wouldn’t. Not until she finished her story.

“He was the type that just naturally worked hard, and I thought, maybe if I tried working as hard as he was, that maybe I could gain some notice or respect from him. It was worth a shot. At least it was to me. So that’s what I did. And it seemed to work, but I could never get him to quite look at me the way _I_ was looking at _him_. It was like I would turn right and he would turn left. But at least we were forging a workplace friendship and he began to come out of his shell a little around me.”

Again, from the corner of her eye, she could see him bristle.

“Then one day, I remember it very clearly, I had been working there and this group of drop dead gorgeous girls came in and suddenly I didn’t exist. Me in my plain t-shirt and capris didn’t stand a shining chance in comparison to the playboy bunnies that walked in. In hindsight, they _were_ pretty hot. But suddenly I realized I needed to up my game if I were ever to get this guy to notice _me_. Slowly I changed my wardrobe, began wearing my hair differently, and flirted with customers. I tried it all. And all the while, despite our growing work friendship, _this guy_ never once asked me out. Even though I thought I caught him looking at me once or twice.”

Tish took a deep breath, she was getting to the hard stuff. But Priestly interrupted before she could continue.

“I looked at you a lot more than that, you know…” his voice was low and quiet.

“Shh!” she scolded. “I’m not finished, and if I stop now, I don’t think I can get all the way through.”

“You don’t have to do this, Tish…” Priestly spoke again, this time she could hear the heartache in his words.

“Yes, I do. So just… please listen.” She swore under her breath as another rogue tear slipped down her cheek and she swiped it away. “So, while this guy never asked me out, there were other guys that did. And I realized that I couldn’t just wait around. Especially if _this guy_ was just not interested. I started dating some of the bolder customers that passed me their numbers. And whoa boy, did the atmosphere at work change after that. We still had a friendship but there was this snarky under current of angst and I dunno, maybe jealousy? But whatever it was, it just fueled me to do it more. If the guy wasn’t going to ask me out, then fine. I wasn’t going to _beg_.”

She felt herself blush at the words and she heard Priestly sigh.

“I wasn’t what he wanted and I was just going to have to deal with that. Even if I was halfway in love with him. He was everything I admired. Smart, funny, kind. Fearless about everything…except for me. But I didn’t find that out until much later. Until it was almost too late.”

She was crying in earnest now. Not wracked with acrobatic sobs, but the silent ones that shredded from the inside.

“But then this thing happened. This awful, terribly enlightening communication where I finally realized we were _both_ hiding ourselves. From each other. Both just as torn up inside, fearing rejection from the other and when the dust settled, the most amazing thing happened. You know the story from here…”

Tish stood now, and wiped her eyes, moving to stand in front of him as he leaned against the picnic table. She looked up, her heart pounding in her chest as she met his eyes.

“I wanted to tell you about my family, about my life. It just never came up. And I’m sorry, but it wasn’t important. Not to me anyways. But I guess I understand why you would want to know. Please believe me though, I never meant to hurt you. All these stupid masks and costumes…” Tish couldn’t continue, her voice cracked near the end of her speech and she knew she only had seconds before she really broke down.

“I just wanted to tell you that.” She turned to leave but his arm reached out and stopped her.

“Wait a sec. You don’t get to just unload all of that on me and then bail.” His voice was gruff, but not angry. “I never knew, Tish. God’s honest. I never did. I didn’t want to believe that it might be possible. Someone like you being interested in someone like me. And that was _before_ I knew about you being rich. Finding that out was like I was waking up from the best dream I ever had. There was no way I would measure up.”

“Thanks for letting me make up my own mind about you. I really appreciate that.” Tish bit out harshly. She was more reactive now and very emotional.

“That’s not what I meant. Even though you know that,” his voice was softer now. “I’m an idiot. I know. Is that what you want me to say? I’m sorry… I’m sorry, too. I just couldn’t bear the thought of not being good enough for you.”

“Don’t you ever say that to me again. I don’t care what the context is. I’ve always admired you for who you are. The only thing that would change that is if you suddenly started treating me like crap on the bottom of your shoe.”

He reached for her then and she let herself go willingly into his arms, needing his reassurance and comfort as much as he needed hers. After a few quiet moments of just recharging her emotional reserves, she backed away so she could look at his face. What she saw there gave her hope. And then he spoke.

“No more costumes, no more masks. Just me and you,” he brushed her tear-dampened hair from the side of her face as he stroked her cheek.

“No. No more. Whatever happens from here on out is not going to be because we’re hiding. I don’t ever want to hide what I feel for you. And vice versa.”

He smiled then, his eyes crinkling just the way she adored. “What do you say we call it a truce then, and have that coffee? My treat.”

Tish thought about it for a minute. And then, regaining a little bit of her sass, responded. “If you’re proposing make-up _coffee_ , then I suggest you need to work on your game. I’ve got a much better idea…”

This time she saw his pearly whites as he laughed and mumbled ‘ _insatiable_ ’ under his breath. But he kissed her forehead and grabbed her hand before finally speaking.

“Whatever my ‘ _other_ ’ wants…”

 

The End

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
